L’Oreal Trial – Wash One

I’ve been on holidays in the sunshine for a week which, if you have been living in Victoria over winter, you’ll know how sorely needed it was. I finished one job and had a week of unemployment before beginning another, so high-tailed myself and the family to the Queensland coast, staying at a gorgeous apartment in Burleigh Heads.

We spent the week in the apartment pool, wandering the gorgeous coastline, trialling the different playgrounds, shopping, eating, drinking and spending my down time together. My husband’s brother and his family also live close to the Gold Coast so we spent some time re-connecting and the two girls spent a lot of time in imaginative play and dress up concerts, which is always a joy to see.

On my return, I’ve finally begun my L’Oreal trial using the new “Hair Expertise” EverCrème Sulphate Free Moisture System (fancy way of saying new shampoo and conditioner) and will be using only the L’Oreal set for the next three weeks. I’m not going to use anything else on my hair – no styling products, just eau natural to give the new line a chance to work.

L’Oreal Claims and My Initial Thoughts.

Sulphate Free. (My inner grammar police spells with a “ph” but L’Oreal have gone with the American “Sulfate”, apparently both perfectly acceptable). What Are Sulphates? Sulphates are cleaning agents, the kind that you clean your sink with, so for the most part, they are effective on your hair, but not particularly kind to it, so the removal of sulphates is a good thing. It also is much better for people who have allergic reactions, psoriasis, or just a sensitive scalp area. Sulphates have been linked to excessive hair loss and slow hair growth, so with any luck, using the new system will leave me with a fuller head of hair which grows faster – win!

“Boosted” Omega 3 & 6. The inclusion of these essential fatty acids in the L’Oreal products promotes hair strength, elasticity, moisture retention and hair growth, which can only be good, but from what I can tell, these fatty acids are usually meant to be ingested rather than just rubbed on your head. The down side? They are fats, so overuse can possibly make the hair oily which has been a problem when I have a busy week and don’t get to wash my hair as often as I would like. I tend to run my hands through my hair a lot too as I’m growing my fringe and it doesn’t quite tuck behind my ear yet.

Infusing Moisture Without Weighing It Down. I can’t count the number of shampoos and conditioners I’ve been through which claim this, some with sulphates, some with silicone, some which claim to be cleansing shampoos. I guess that any shampoo and/or conditioner is going to coat your hair, so how that equates to not weighing my hair down has always been a mystery to me.

My First Wash.

I have to say, I’m impressed. The packaging is top notch, although the same shaped bottles for both shampoo and conditioner make me squint a bit in the shower to know what I’m using. I’ve solved this by removing the sticker on the conditioner bottle, but I think I have been given a pre-release package so this may not be available to those bought from shops. The shampoo is a gorgeous golden pearl colour and nice and thick. Initially, I thought the scent was cocoa butter, but after reading the ingredient list, it’s definitely caramel I smell. A sweet, luscious caramel. Makes me want a cookie.

The shampoo lathers well, the conditioner goes a long way when coating the hair, and they are easy to both work through the hair and rinse out (no residual product left). The sweet scent also stayed with my hair after a blow dry and straighten which was nice.

The claims of boosted hydration without weight so far hold water, my hair is light and two days after the wash, still not weighed down with excess oils and styling well. I’m planning on washing two or three times per week for a three week trial so if I still have no build up by the end of that time frame I will be highly impressed!

Want a Sample or a Prize?

I have a few sample packs left of the L’Oreal products, so if you do want to give it a try, send me your postal details (redsage@me.com) and I’ll get them out to you shortly. L’Oreal have also sponsored a little giveaway for Priceline lovers (is it just me or is Priceline a piece of heaven?) – see here for details and a chance to win a $50 voucher. Competition guidelines and rules available here.

If you have received a sample, I’d love to know what you think of the new products!